Free DUI Attorney vs. Paid DUI Attorney

Free DUI Attorney vs. Paid DUI Attorney

Those considered indigent, or without financial resources to adequately raise a rigorous defense against their DUI charges, will be examined in open court during arraignment. Provided the income requirements are met, those lacking the wherewithal will be appointed public defenders.

Historically speaking, public defenders tend to get thousands of cases per year, and attempt for the quickest resolve possible since the state pays the law firm for each indigent case.

Because of excessively high volume of cases, many DUI defendants receive subpar legal assistance which results in poor bargaining with prosecution or judges, egregious case errors and extended jail time. Let’s examine the pros and cons of hiring your own attorney as opposed to accepting state assistance:

Public Defenders

There’s nothing wrong with public defenders. Do not take this article out of context as a personal attack toward them. That said, here are pros and cons of accepting their help:

Pros:

Must provide fair representation regardless of defendant’s ability to pay

PD’s are actual attorneys which receive ‘stipends’ for every case taken.

You are still afforded the right to trial, although few DUIs go there.

Cons:

Larger caseload means less individual attention given to questionable cases

Often times get what you paid – zero help

Less time for accurate sentencing deals, fine reductions or license suspensions

Skim over complete information instead of closely studying

We’re not taking away from the wonderful work these attorneys do; sometimes life doesn’t provide the adequate resources for retention of paid legal help. However, we implore you to consider discussing your case with reputable law firms before making any quick decisions. According to court rules, you should be arraigned within 72 business hours for your crime, giving you enough time to consider the below pros and cons of hiring your own DUI attorney.

Paid DUI Attorneys

Pros:

Plenty of 1 on 1 attention given to your case, working hard to reach an amicable resolve

More research, case and discussion power due to more time

Will look over complete details, including arrest reports, accident records and so forth

Truly get what you paid for, including some great things which you didn’t

Appeal much quicker since the attorney will have familiarity with your case.

Cons:

Quite honestly, cost isn’t considered a ‘con’ since paid attorneys will save you money.

On second thought, one ‘con’ is you will need financial resources. Nobody likes this, but nobody likes jail, either.

Deciding Before It’s Too Late

When standing accused of DUI in Arizona, anticipation surrounding your case, facing the judge and what final outcomes may be decided riddles your mind. You’ve got an excellent job, beautiful home and loving family waiting for you, which means getting out of jail quickly is priority number one. If placed under arrest with an outrageous bond, perhaps it’s time to decide on what criminal defense should be hired to possibly get your release granted on your own recognizance, or at least with reduced bond.

Kindly ask family members to phone local DUI attorneys whether in Phoenix or anywhere in Arizona. Start your search beginning with your free phone call which you are entitled to upon being booked; if you’ve been denied phone calls because of jailor attitude or general poor treatment, you’ll need to memorize everything because later on, you’ll have your chosen DUI attorney subpoena jail records to defend your case.

Remember this.

Factually speaking, many defendants are suckered into accepting ridiculous deals which put the courts’ interest first. Without ample attorney assistance, the accused is pretty much screwed. To better assist your understanding of the DUI charges you potentially face, the next section will discuss the blood alcohol testing phase, why testing is important to your case, and what tests aren’t allowed during the initial law enforcement stop.

Paying for any criminal defense attorney is worth it. We’re not saying that from an advertising standpoint, but from the notion that if we got busted for DUI or any other crime, we’d pay for our legal defense, too.